Selective school scores barely above average

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Students at Hurlstone Agricultural High School, Sydney's second most popular selective school, are only just managing to beat the state average in a demanding HSC English course.

Confidential figures show that the school, where the majority of students have passed the difficult selective school entry test, has recorded advanced English results since 2001 that are marginally above the average.

The school has also had to confront a high student dropout rate in science subjects, despite enrolling some of the state's brightest students. Selective schools accept the top 5 per cent of academic achievers in NSW.

The Department of Education said yesterday that Hurlstone's overall English results last year were the highest among five other partially selective schools - Farrer Memorial and Yanco agricultural high schools, Macquarie Fields High, Sefton High and Sydney Secondary College at Glebe.

The advanced English students at Hurlstone were no more than 2.9 percentage points above the state average in the past three HSC exams. In most other subjects - including the easier standard English that many selective schools no longer offer - the range of achievement above the state average was between 5 and 18 per cent.

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In a separate Herald analysis of the percentage of HSC students achieving the top English band, Hurlstone was behind 17 fully and partially selective schools, 13 comprehensive government schools and 55 private schools.

The department said in a statement: "Hurlstone Agricultural High School, along with the department's other residential agricultural high schools, is regarded as part-selective, and its academic results cannot accurately be compared with fully selective high schools."

It ranked "first across all English courses" when measured against the other partially selective schools.

"Out of 177 [Hurlstone] students sitting the 2003 HSC, 99 were on the Board of Studies distinguished achievers list and nine were on the board's all-rounders list," the department said.

The English faculty had last year "increased writing practice for students" and provided "more tutoring for HSC students" as part of its routine review of HSC results.

Two years ago, Hurlstone executives asked the Department of Education to review its senior science teaching and student performance. Half of the students in 2001 who elected to study an HSC science subject had dropped it by year 12. Many others switched from physics, chemistry and biology to the easier senior science subject.

"In light of the selective nature of the student body, the course change phenomenon in the science faculty is of concern," the report said.

The department said that a subsequent strategic plan had "led to fewer students leaving science subjects than in 2001". Recent achievements included 25 high distinctions in the 2004 Australian Science Quiz.

Day students at the Glenfield school of 950 students gain entry through the selective school test, as do a proportion of the 300 boarders. Geographic isolation and the presence of siblings at the school are extra factors influencing the boarder intake.

Last year, it had 858 applications from day students and 70 from boarders for year7 spots.

Baulkham Hills High School was the most popular selective school, with 1038 applications, followed by Gosford High with 932 applications.